Skating Away
by Onyx Obsidian
Summary: Who is that on the ice? When Dumbledore takes the Order to watch figure skating, what secrets get spilled? Who do the secrets belong to? AU EWE
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I OWN HARRY POTTER. (SIGH) NOT REALLY, BUT A GIRL CAN DREAM CAN'T SHE? **

**FEEL LIKE I SHOULD MENTION: I KNOW SQUAT ABOUT ICE SKATING. IF YOU DO, AND NOTICE SOME THINGS ARE WRONG, SORRY IN ADVANCE. **

**HOPE YOU ENJOY!**

No one could figure out just why Dumbledore wanted to go watch the figure skating competition in Canada. He had arranged a port key for the Order so they could all go with him. Nobody really wanted to go, but didn't have the heart to say no to the old wizard. So, here the Order was, in Canada, going to a figure skating competition, for who knows what reason, but here they were, none the less.

After taking their seats in the arena, with the younger ones in the front row and the older ones behind them, they sat waiting for the show to start. They got programs, a special edition set that consisted of 200 pages with color photographs and short bios of all the skaters. Ginny had been mostly looking through the photos, and was surprised at what she saw on one of the pages.

"Guys, turn to page 115 and tell me what you see." she said.

Turning to the page she said, the whole of the Order present gasped. There, on pages 115 to 125, was a bio and stats of one Hermione Granger, and her partner, Maxim, along with a lot of photographs.

"No way! Hermione? Headmaster, did you know about this?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Harry. Why do you think I wanted to come here today? Rumor has it that she and her partner are going to dominate with their routines today, and I wanted to be here, even if she doesn't know, to support them." Albus said, his eyes twinkling.

Turning back to the pages, the group read her bio and stats of her other life. Apparently, she and her partner were quite good.

_Hermione Granger was born in London, England, September 19, 1979 to dentists David and Helena Granger. She started skating at the age of 3, entering and winning several local competitions. She was paired with partner Maxim at the age of 16, and for the last 4 years, they have been dominating the skating world. Together, many coaches and other teams have acknowledged they are a force to be reckoned with. Winning the last 2 world championships, and many national championships, they are well on their way._

"Did she mention this to you, Ginny? You know, during one of your 'girl talk' sessions, maybe?" Ron asked.

"No. If she had told me about this, I would absolutely have remembered. She didn't mention this to me at all, believe me." she said, shaking her head. "Holy hell! Tonks, did you see the pictures of her partner in here? I'm starting to understand why she didn't mention him. I'm sure she wanted to keep him all to herself."

"I saw, alright. You don't think…?" Tonks said. She had a feeling Hermione was shagging her partner, as she would be. He was gorgeous. Maxim, according to his stats, was 6'2". He had black shaggy hair and blue eyes. He was only a few years older than Hermione, and moved with his parents from Russia to London a few months after he was born.

"What? That she's shagging him? She'd be crazy not to be, that's for sure." Ginny said with a laugh.

Harry, on the other hand, was fascinated at the pictures of Hermione. He always thought she was pretty, but the Hermione in the pictures was gorgeous. _'When did she grow up to look like that? And how did I not notice?'_ he thought.

"You still looking at the pictures of Mione? Surprise, Harry, Ron. You're best 'mate', isn't a 'mate' at all." Bill said from behind them. "We've all known Hermione was a gorgeous bird for quite some time now, and it's high time you two recognized that fact as well."

Looking at the pictures again, Harry knew Bill was right. The Hermione he was looking at was absolutely breath-taking. She had smooth curls instead of the bushy hair he remembered. She had big brown eyes and pouty lips. Her legs were tan and toned, and looked longer than he thought they were. He always thought Hermione was quite short, but her stats said she was 5'7", so not too short. His thoughts were interrupted by Ron.

"Blimey, Harry! Look at this picture of Hermione. Has she always looked like this and we just never noticed?"

"Yeah, Ron. I think she's always looked like this. To us, she was just 'Hermione'. The other part of our trio. I think we've always thought of her as one of the guys, you know. Like Neville or your brothers. Quite clearly we were wrong." Harry said.

"You dolts. You always thought of Hermione as one of the guys, sure. But, I hate to break it to two, the rest of us saw her as a girl. She was pretty when she was younger, and she was downright beautiful when she got older. Apparently, you missed the way the guys were all over her at Bill's wedding. Even compared to Fleur's Veela family, she attracted a lot of attention from the guys in that dress of hers." George said.

"Wow! Look at this picture, guys. She's beautiful." Ginny said. They looked at the picture she was talking about. She was right. It was a picture of Maxim holding Hermione above his head while skating. If she looked like this just in the pictures, they couldn't wait to see her in action. They didn't have to wait long.

The announcer came on and the show started. The Order watched as several couples skated, each talented in their own way. Then, the announcer came on again.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, next on the ice, representing England, the reigning gold medal champs, Maxim Kharkov and Hermione Granger."_

The crowd burst into applause when they skated onto the ice. Hermione was wearing a silver and red skating costume with white skates. Her hair had been pulled back from her face, falling into two French braided pigtails. She was smiling and laughing, making her look even more beautiful, Harry noted.

The music came on and Hermione and Maxim began skating. She was so graceful on the ice. The Order was a little nervous, not knowing exactly what to expect.

"Harry! You can see her knickers when she skates like that!" Ron whispered.

"You moron! That's a part of her costume." Ginny whispered.

"Whoa! What is she doing? Oh Merlin, she's insane!" Ron whispered, after seeing Hermione performing a throw triple jump. "Okay, that is cool." he added.

They watched in fascination as she and her partner skated, jumped and twirled on the ice during their routine. They were perfect. After every jump, twist, lift or throw, the audience burst into applause. At the end of the performance, every person, including the Order, were on their feet cheering.

"Wow! Did you see her out there? She was perfect. And so graceful, too. Hard to believe that's the same Hermione we know. She's actually a girl, Harry." Ron said, still in shock.

"Yeah, I noticed, Ron. And yes, I saw her. She was perfect, wasn't she? Oh, they're coming up with the scores."

Showing up on the big screen, the judges posted Hermione and Maxim's scores. They earned the highest score so far, with a total of 78.84. Once again, the audience burst into applause.

After another round of skaters, Hermione and Maxim were back on the ice for their second routine. This was the final round, so if they got the highest scores, they would win.

This time, she was wearing a black costume and black skates. Her hair was hanging down, except for the front which was pulled back from her face. She was once again laughing at something Maxim had said, making Harry feel a little jealous.

This routine was filled with more jumps, twists and lifts than the last one. She was still perfect, though. She nailed each jump, landing and lift with ease, making it look like no big deal. After they were done, the audience once again on their feet bursting with applause.

After a few moments, the judges came back with their scores. This routine earned them a 85.56, which when combined with their previous scores, gave them a total of 164.40, putting them in first place with a lead of 10 points. Hermione and Maxim came out for a few laps around the ice, having captured gold again.

"Well, let's get back to the port key and go home. We'll throw her a surprise party tomorrow. Sound good, everyone?" Albus asked. After everyone agreed, they went back to the port key station and landed back at Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley immediately got to work making preparations for Hermione's party tomorrow. Everyone else went their separate ways, with Harry, Ron and Ginny going into the boys room.

"Still can't get over that. I wonder why Hermione never brought it up? She was always saying she wasn't athletic enough, or had the desire to play Quidditch, and she's doing this? Wow." Ron said as he lay on his bed, thumbing through the book again.

"Moron. She's just not capable of flying on a broom. That's why she doesn't play Quidditch. But after what I saw, she is an athlete." Ginny said.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Ginny. But I'm gonna have a few words for her when she gets here. I mean, she's always going on and on about how dangerous Quidditch is. Skating is dangerous too. She could fall and hit her head on the ice. She could get cut with a skate. She could really hurt herself out there." Harry said.

He couldn't wait for Hermione to get home.

**REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT. XOXO**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. ENJOY!**

Harry had texted Hermione and she had texted back that she would be arriving at GP at 1 pm the next day, so Ginny was the official lookout for Hermione. Ginny sat in the window of the living room watching for Hermione to pull up in her new car, a red Audi R8 Spyder. At 12:55, Ginny saw the car driving up the street.

"She's coming!" Ginny yelled. Everyone got in position to surprise her. This was going to be a fun surprise for Hermione, they thought. They all hated the idea that Hermione kept this from them for so long thinking they would react negatively to it. They wanted to prove that wasn't the case at all.

When the front door opened, and Hermione was heard walking in, Harry began to get nervous. He didn't know why, it was just Hermione. Although, if he was honest with himself, after yesterday, she wasn't _just Hermione _anymore.

Hermione appeared in the living room doorway, and everyone yelled "Surprise!"

"Wh-what is all this?" Hermione asked. Harry noted she looked beautiful, even dressed casually like she was. She was wearing black track pants, a white tank top, white trainers and her reading glasses. Her hair was hanging loosely.

"This, Hermione, is your 'Congratulations on the Gold Medal' party." Ron said.

"What gold medal?" she asked, playing dumb.

"Well, Miss Granger, the gold medal you won yesterday. You see, we, the Order that is, just happened to be in Canada yesterday. And, just to kill an afternoon, we attended a figure skating championship, as well." Albus said.

Hermione blushed and her eyes widened. "Oh?" she asked.

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione, you were fabulous! Don't try to play dumb, it doesn't work with you." Ginny said going over to give Hermione a hug.

Hermione sighed. "Alright. Did you guys enjoy it?" Hermione asked, looking around the room. Her eyes rested on Harry, waiting for him to say something.

"Oh! Uh…yeah. It was pretty cool, Mione. You were really great." Harry said, smiling at her.

"Thanks, Harry." Hermione said, beaming her bright smile back at him. "I'm glad you liked it."

With that, one by one, the Order talked and asked Hermione questions about her figure skating career. Ginny and Tonks mainly asked questions about Maxim. Hermione answered every question, including the ones about Maxim for the next 2 hours.

Harry was trying not to listen to questions about Maxim, but he couldn't help but overhear. The less he heard about him, the better in Harry's opinion.

"So, Hermione. Are you shagging Maxim? Cause I know I'd be, especially with the way he looked in those tights." Ginny asked.

"Well," Hermione said, lowering her voice, "I used to, Gin. But, Maxim has trouble staying faithful. So no, not anymore."

Harry almost dropped his drink hearing that. His Hermione had been shagging her skating partner? And he couldn't stay faithful to her? Was he blind or just insane? If he had Hermione, he wouldn't so much as look at another girl.

"Oh. Sorry, Mione." Ginny said.

"Nothing to be sorry about, Gin. It just wasn't meant to be, that's all. I'm used to it by now. Maybe someday I'll meet that someone special, but I'm not holding my breath." Hermione said.

"What do you mean 'you're used to it'?" Tonks asked.

"Maxim wasn't the first to cheat on me, and knowing my luck, he won't be the last. After I finished with him for good, I dated one of the other coaches. I went to his office one day to surprise him, and found him with a girl he coached on the sofa." Hermione said.

"Oh. Well, don't worry. I sure there's someone out there for you. Who only wants you, that is." Ginny said trying to cheer her up.

For another 2 hours, Hermione stayed to talk and answer more questions. He noticed she was starting to look a little tired, so he went over to her.

"Mione? You're looking a little tired. Want me to drive you home?" Harry asked. He didn't want her driving home if she was too tired to drive.

Hermione smile at him. "That would be nice, Harry. Just give me a few minutes to thank everyone and say bye and we'll go, alright?"

Once Hermione had said her goodbyes, she and Harry were off. Harry was excited for two reasons. For one, he got to be alone with Hermione finally. And secondly, he got to drive her car. That in itself was an honor, as she never let anyone drive it. He would get to drive it for over an hour, since that's how long it took to get to Hermione's house. She had moved into a house she bought in the country. It was more of a farm than a house, and everyone thought she was crazy for buying it, but she loved it. She even loved the horses so much, she insisted they stay, so she bought them from the previous owners.

After about 15 minutes of driving, Harry started talking. "So, Hermione. I overheard you talking about Maxim. You two close, or something? Off the ice, I mean." Harry asked.

"We used to date, Harry. But after finding him with a couple others, I vowed never to go there again. And I haven't. I've been unhappily single off the ice for over a year now. Why?" Hermione asked.

"No reason, really. I just don't want you with someone who makes you unhappy, is all. I'm just looking out for you, Mione."

"That's sweet, Harry. What about you? Been seeing anyone since you ended things with Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"No. I mean, there's been a couple girls interested in me, but none of them seemed right for me, you know?" he said.

"I know. Looks like we're in the same boat, Harry. Both alone and unhappy. Sucks, huh?" Hermione asked. Harry could tell by her voice she was getting more and more tired.

"Hey, Hermione?"

"Yeah, Harry?"

"Would you ever consider dating a friend?" Harry asked. He was trying to figure out if he had a shot with Hermione.

"Well, if you're talking about Ron, then no. Luna's got her eye on him, I'm afraid. Neville, probably not. Seamus and Dean are seeing each other, so they're out. Unless" she started, turning to look at Harry, "There's only one other male friend of mine you could be talking about. Harry, do you…?" she said.

"I do, Hermione." he said, pulling up the driveway.

"Wow. Um…I think we better talk. Preferably inside, Harry."

Getting out of the car, Harry followed Hermione inside. He was hoping he wasn't throwing away all their years of friendship by telling her the truth. Harry looked at the house and took a deep breath. This would either be the place his friendship with Hermione ended up in jeopardy, or the place his relationship with her began. He was praying for the latter.

**I'LL TRY TO UPDATE SOON. LIFE'S BEEN GETTING CRAZY AT MY HOUSE, SO I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO WRITE. **

**PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT. XOXO**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: HARRY POTTER IS MINE IN DREAMS ONLY. HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER. ALSO, THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE REVIEWED, FAVORITED OR FOLLOWED. **

Once they were in the house, Harry sat uneasily on one end of the sofa, while Hermione sat at the other end with her legs stretched out.

"So…that was an interesting conversation we were having in the car. What brought that on?" Hermione asked. She was surprised to find she wasn't nervous about having this conversation with Harry.

"I had to know if you would ever date a friend of yours. I wanted to know if I have a shot with you. And…well…I fancy you, Hermione." he said, looking down at his feet.

"How long have you fancied me, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Looking back, I think I always have in some way, even if I didn't know it, but it became clear to me recently." he said. "I have always been able to depend on you. Every year in Hogwarts, something dangerous happened that involved me, and there you were, right there beside me the whole time."

"I think, however, my feelings for you changed from best friend to something else after the Department of Mysteries fiasco. You were hidden so well, and you risked your safety to save Sirius. Then, when you got hit by Dolohov, and I thought I was going to lose you, I swear my heart almost stopped beating. I couldn't live without you, Hermione, and I still can't. Without you there by me, I would've died a long time ago." Harry said, still looking at his feet. "From then on, when you'd walk into the room, or hug me, I'd feel funny. Not like I was going to be sick or anything, mind you, but just funny."

"I see. Harry, would you look at me now, please?" she asked. Harry could hear her voice cracking, knowing she was on the verge of tears. Looking up at her, he could see her eyes shining with tears that were threatening to fall.

"I would love the chance of dating a friend, if that friend would get around to actually asking me out." she said, smiling.

"Really?" Harry asked, his voice going up an octave. That was definitely a surprise.

"Yes, really. You see, if this friend were to ask me out, I'd say yes in a heartbeat." Hermione said, chuckling.

Harry cleared his throat. "Alright. Umm…why? I mean, I know I haven't asked yet, and you haven't answered, but why would you agree?" he asked.

"I fancy you, too, Harry. I have since our fourth year. It's silly, really. When I was walking down the stairs at the Yule Ball to meet Viktor, you were watching me. And, for one brief moment, I felt…I felt…I felt like the most beautiful girl in the world. I know it was just because you'd never seen me look like such a girl, but the look in your eyes really did make me feel special. After that night, like you, whenever you were near, I'd feel funny, too. I realized in fifth year that the reason why was because I fancied you." Hermione said with a smile, looking at him.

"Why fifth year, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"It was during one of our D.A. meetings. I saw the way Ginny was looking at you, and knowing how she felt at the time, I knew she would be going after you for keeps soon. And, well, I was jealous. I barely spoke to Ginny after that night. You may not know this, but I also stopped talking to her after you two started dating for a while." Hermione said, and felt her cheeks turn red.

"So, if you fancied me, then, why did you make such a fuss about Ron and Lavender in sixth year?"

"It had nothing to do with liking Ron, I assure you. One night while you were occupied with Ginny, Ron and I had a serious discussion. We came to the conclusion that we were meant to be friends and nothing more." Hermione said, and took a deep breath. "It felt like you and Ron were drifting away from me. Like you guys were leaving me behind."

"Hermione, we would never leave you. Face it, you're stuck with me and Ron. And, everyone else, as well. We're a special kind of crazy family, and you're in it for a loooong time." Harry said, making Hermione laugh. The fact that she felt like they were leaving her hurt to hear. He couldn't picture his future without her. And he couldn't remember his past without her there.

Harry cleared his throat. "Now, Miss Hermione Granger, would you do me the great honor of going to dinner with me on Friday night?" he asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

Hermione started giggling. "It would me my pleasure, Mr. Harry Potter." she said with a smile.

Harry was smiling widely. He noticed that they had gotten closer together on the sofa while they were talking. He leaned in and whispered, "Shall we seal the deal with a kiss, Miss Granger?"

Hermione licked her lips. "I think I can agree to that, Mr. Potter." she said looking from his eyes to his lips.

Leaning in, Harry placed a chaste kiss on her plump lips. He had started to pull away when Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back. He was in heaven. Gently, he touched his tongue to her lips, begging entrance. She opened her mouth, and he felt her tongue wrestling with his.

Harry wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and laid back with her on top of him. He moved one hand up to wrap in her hair, while the other hand reached down to grab hold of her bum. He heard Hermione moan, and decided that nothing sounded better to him than that.

Harry and Hermione stayed like that for another hour. Just wrapping themselves up in each other. The need for air became too great, and they took a break. Harry and Hermione got to talking about life before Hogwarts, and he was surprised at how much he didn't know about her. Hermione, to her surprise, was shocked at how much she and Harry had in common from their pre-Hogwarts days.

Harry stayed for another couple hours, and decided to head back to Grimmauld Place when the clock chimed 11. He had an early day tomorrow, and he knew Hermione herself was already exhausted from earlier. Even though they knew they'd see each other the next day, they kissed each other goodbye like they wouldn't see one another for a week.

After Harry apparated back to Grimmauld Place, Hermione couldn't help the squeal that had been waiting to come out since Harry had said he fancied her. She had never thought she would hear those words from his mouth. She felt like she was back in fourth year again. She made her way to bed, where after changing into her pajamas which was just one of Harry's old Quidditch practice jerseys and her knickers, fell asleep with Crookshanks curled up at her feet.

Harry, once back at Grimmauld Place, was relieved that no one else was in sight. He really was tired, and though he wouldn't trade the last few hours snogging Hermione for anything, just wanted to go to bed. He made his way to his room he shared with Ron, and stripped down to his boxers. Knowing Ron was probably spending the night with Luna, he fell asleep with a smile on his face, staring at a picture of Hermione he had on his nightstand.

Oh, how he couldn't wait until Friday.

**SORRY IF THEY MOVED A LITTLE FAST WITH ONE ANOTHER. I THINK AFTER KNOWING HOW ONE ANOTHER FELT, THEIR RELATIONSHIP WOULD MOVE A LITTLE FAST AFTER THAT. LET'S FACE IT, THERE IS NO HARRY WITHOUT HERMIONE. EVEN THOUGH I LIKE GINNY, HERMIONE IS BETTER FOR HARRY THAN SHE IS. **

**REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS. XOXO**


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